Chapter 194: Have The Final Word

If there was anything the beasts loved as much as violence, it was partying. Maverick Nightshade walked through the arena, taking note of the changes that had been made to the place for tonight.

The surface, or the Outer Ring as the students popularly called it, looked nothing like it usually did. Torches had been mounted along the sides of the massive stone columns, while shallow fire bowls burned atop several of them, their flames bright against the night sky.

More braziers had been positioned strategically throughout the ruins, illuminating the pathways, seating areas and the wide center without a single electrical light being used. Caelis had apparently wanted the illusion of another era without sacrificing modern conveniences entirely, because speakers had been concealed throughout the ruins, music pouring from them without anything obvious to betray where it was coming from. The effect made the entire place resemble some ancient temple brought back to life for one night.

What Caelis lacked in empathy, he certainly made up for in creativity and taste. Maverick knew the old saying that monsters thrived in the dark, and judging by the atmosphere the basilick prince had created tonight, he wouldn’t be surprised if the bastard had thought of that too.

Three enormous emblems representing Aetheris, Ophidian and Therion had been displayed side by side along one section of the wall, but there was little doubt which House ruled supreme here. Stone serpents were scattered throughout the arena, some coiled around pillars while others rose from pedestals with their fangs exposed. Ophidian had left its mark everywhere, which wasn’t surprising considering Caelis had been the one to oversee the arena’s construction.

Although this was the first time Maverick had actively participated in one of these parties, he knew the real fighting ring was underground. Beneath all the music, alcohol and festivities was the place where he and Rhydian would eventually find out which of them was the stronger predator.

As he continued through the Outer Ring, Maverick spotted several female beasts dressed in outfits that left practically nothing to the imagination, and he barely gave them a second glance. Humans tended to have far more reservations when it came to nudity, but beasts grew up differently.

Shifting alone made modesty difficult to cling to when one’s clothes could tear apart within seconds. They didn’t treat their bodies as something sexual or shameful, and sex itself wasn’t considered something that needed to be whispered about behind closed doors.

That didn’t mean beast shifters fucked anything that moved or lacked boundaries. Attraction, preference, loyalty and consent mattered just as much as they did to anyone else. They simply weren’t taught to be embarrassed by desire.

Maverick didn’t care if his Aria was nothing like them. If she was shy about her body or became flustered whenever things between them grew too intimate, he liked that about her too. He liked the way her cheeks warmed when he complimented her and how easily he could make her blush with a kiss.

Left entirely to him, he wouldn’t have brought her to a party like this in the first place. He knew how beasts celebrated when they were given enough alcohol and freedom to indulge their primitive sides, and some gatherings eventually descended into public sex, group encounters and whatever else consenting participants decided to get up to before the night was over.

Hopefully, with an actual fight waiting for them beneath their feet, everyone would be more interested in seeing blood spilled tonight than taking their clothes off.

It wasn’t difficult to tell the moment Caelis arrived. Aside from the expensive-looking car pulling up outside the arena, Maverick could sense him. It was a predator’s response to another predator, an instinct that had already made Maverick unconsciously gauge the power of every beast present tonight. So far, there wasn’t a single one he doubted he could put down without breaking much of a sweat.

But then there was Caelis Cobryn.

If there was one opponent Maverick knew deep down would give him a deadly fight, it was the Basilisk Prince.

Maverick watched as Caelis casually stepped out of the car, already surveying his surroundings before his silver eyes found Maverick’s across the distance and stayed there.

Strangely enough, it wasn’t Caelis’s ability to turn someone to stone that concerned Maverick most. It was how little emotion the bastard showed. That cold control reminded him of someone Maverick knew better than most. His own father, Asher Nightshade.

He could see far too much of his father in Caelis, and that alone made the Basilisk Prince dangerous. Men like them rarely acted on impulse. They watched, calculated and kept everything buried beneath an unsettling amount of control, which only made it worse when that control finally snapped.

Caelis was brilliant too. Maverick preferred staying two steps ahead of everyone around him, but with Caelis, he could never comfortably assume the bastard wasn’t already planning three steps of his own.

In one word, Caelis Cobryn was a scary competitor.

From the corner of his eye, Maverick caught movement from the other side of the car and finally broke eye contact, his brows drawing together slightly when he saw Karen Donovan step out.

At first, Maverick didn’t think much of it. Karen was part of House Ophidian, after all, so perhaps Caelis had simply given her a ride to the arena. Since when did Caelis have a heart?

But then Maverick noticed there was no sign of the other girls, and a suspicion began to form in his mind.

Nah. It couldn’t be.

Yet he watched Caelis walk around to Karen’s side and offer her his arm. Karen smiled sweetly before slipping hers through it, looking entirely too pleased with herself as they started toward the arena together.

Maverick was dumbfounded. This was impossible. House Therion was the only House that had shown any real tolerance toward the humans so far. The serpents certainly hadn’t, and neither had the dragons.

Still, his eyes weren’t deceiving him.

And Maverick wasn’t the only one who had noticed. Gasps and shocked whispers rippled through the arena as more heads turned toward the unlikely pair. Since when did serpents get chummy with humans? They were known for poisoning and killing them, not offering them an arm to hold. Had Prince Caelis finally lost his damn mind?

But no matter how shocked everyone was, none of them confronted the basilick prince. Instead, they stood and watched the unlikely pair descend up the stairs, their mind blown away.

However, the longer everyone stared, the more obvious it became that if one ignored the fact that Karen was human, the two of them oddly looked perfect together. Like some kind of power couple—the Basilisk Prince of the serpent kind and the daughter of an influential politician.

Not to mention, Karen didn’t exactly look like Karen tonight. Gone was the polished, delicate rich girl they were accustomed to seeing. Dressed in black with her newly darkened hair, for once, she actually looked like she had a backbone.

Instead of minding his business and continuing into the party, Caelis led Karen directly toward Maverick. Of course he did. The bastard stopped a few feet away, Karen still holding his arm as the two princes regarded each other.

"Alpha Maverick," he greeted, briefly taking in Maverick’s appearance. "I hope you’re here to have fun and not police my attendees. Class is over, Professor."

Maverick angled his head slightly, accepting the challenge for exactly what it was. "Who says I can’t do both?"

"Oh, you won’t have to lift a finger at all, Professor," Caelis assured him. "Everyone here has promised to be on their best behavior."

"Except that’s the problem." Maverick rubbed his jaw as he studied him. "Promises are easily broken."

For once, Caelis smiled, and Maverick immediately disliked it. "I can assure you, the promises made tonight will be kept. If there’s anything you should be worried about, it’s your fight with Rhydian."

His smile widened just enough to become mocking. "It would be rather embarrassing if the Alpha of House Therion were defeated tonight, wouldn’t it? You’ve kept the beasts in this academy under remarkably tight control so far. One public defeat and some of them might start questioning whether that control was ever yours to begin with....."

He paused, letting the words settle before adding, "They might even begin to wonder whether the Nightshade heir has anything behind that name besides his family’s reputation."

Oh, he was good. Maverick had to give him that. Caelis knew exactly where to stick the knife and how slowly to twist it.

"Thank you for your concern, Caelis Cobryn. But I can assure you I’m a hundred percent capable of taking care of myself and any threat that comes my way." Maverick’s attention remained on him. "If anything, you should be more concerned with making sure every member of your House sticks to their promise not to harm any human tonight."

He straightened. "Now, if you’ll excuse me."

Maverick turned, intending to leave, only to stop after a step.

"Oh, and just a warning." This time, his eyes settled on Karen, who had been staring at him throughout the entire exchange. "This one has a habit of putting other people between herself and danger. So if trouble comes flying your way tonight, you might want to watch your back. May the Goddess be with you."

Then Maverick walked away, satisfied that he’d gotten the final word and leaving behind a thoroughly embarrassed Karen.